The Best Offense
by ChainlinkedParadise
Summary: If the fate of Jump City was unknowingly out of the hands of the Titans, would one be strong enough to fight in the shade of gray between right and wrong to save it? Would they ever be strong enough to return? RaexRedX and slight RobxRae
1. Introduction

A/N: Alrighty then, first story, if you have any concerns, comments, or just plain mean things to say, that power is just a review button away.. :)

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Introduction

His black cape. That stupid, fashionably tattered, midnight black cape was waving back at her mockingly as Raven chased Red X into an alley. She was definitely not in the mood to be messing around with the jackass this late at night, but decided she could just take her rage out on said jackass when she caught up.

Not ten minutes ago, Raven had been floating contently back to her room. Ready to put a slash mark through another relaxing, crime-free day on her calendar, Raven dropped her pen when that familiar blinking light had gone off. It was 11:58. Two more minutes and it would have been the longest record of peaceful days to date for the Titans. Two more minutes and she might not have been in this situation, maybe she would have been sleepier then she was now, maybe one of her punches would have missed and she lost her footing, leaving Boy Wonder to chase down the sarcastic, way-too-active-for-this-early-in-the-morning thief. But no, Red X had decided to trap Robin in a non-holographic net this time.

_Serves him right for being idiotic and unprepared,_ She mentally huffed. The day that Robin didn't underestimate criminals she'd award him a gold star to match his cape. All the other titans were indisposed thanks to the magical suit boy currently (and wisely she added) running for his skin down the damn dark alley.

Damn alley…damn X…damn Robin…damn this night…and damn her father to hell while she was at it!

The thief didn't even need to try anything new; gluing Beast Boy and Star–upside down-to the museum's roof, shocking Cyborg with his own wires, and catching Bird Boy in a freaking _net_, leaving just her to chase him down. Raven just couldn't shake that nagging feeling in the back of her mind that it had been on purpose either.

_O well_, Raven thought maliciously. _His mistake._

At least with Robin not around she could afford to be a tad more cruel than normal; and if he bitched about her returning X in a ball of painfully positioned limbs, he could go after the criminal smarter next time.

"End of the road X." She almost laughed at how much she sounded like the stereotypical hero, or Robin even, slowly backing the thief to the end of the alleyway. Raven, never fooling herself into believing she was much of a hero anyways, always thought of herself as simply paying back a debt to the world. Bringing an apocalyptic demon relative into the dimension could do that to a person.

"Hey Sunshine. You know you're my _favorite_ of the birds." He said playfully through the mask's metallic, computerized voice.

Brushing invisible dust off his shoulders, X sauntered over to a brick wall and leaned his back against it, hoping for a little fun before he actually took off. Ignoring the bait, she continued to advance, and Red X noticed the witch looked a little more grim than usual. Raven's eyes narrowed with black energy already pooling around her hands, obviously _not_ in the mood for compliments. The heroine sent a large trashcan at him for a response. Dodging it, X flipped and landed on a clothesline, staying perched there for a moment. He looked down at her, silently mocking and faking a yawn into the palm of his hand.

_She's no fun to mess with,_ he thought, used to Robin's thin skin, _There's got to be someway to get a rise out of her.._

That was his mission tonight anyway, in his mind even an Ice Queen needed to heat up every once and a while; oh, and the diamond just happened to be a relatively nice perk. He innocently noticed that her uniform didn't leave too much to the imagination. From that height he should've been able to have quite a nice view. He would've given the prize he had so recently stolen to trade her black leotard for a low cut shirt at that moment. X wasn't prepared, however, to have his fantasy cut short at the same time as the sorceress cut the line, falling into the grubby trash that had just been dumped below him.

"Of course," he ground out while pushing himself up shakily, "that could change relatively soon if you're not going to be gentle."

"Sorry, I'm not into 'gentle'." She replied sarcastically, grabbing at the thief with her dark magic in frustration when he continued to dodge her attacks like a choreographed dance. She ran up to him then, throwing a punch into the middle of the X in his suit, which teleported to her side. He continued to dodge her attacks until her foot connected with his chest, sending him backwards-but not before he grabbed her ankle. She fell awkwardly on her back, and decided it was time to end the fight and call it a night. Any patience she might've had was running out fast as Raven glowed dangerously and threw things wildly in his direction. When everything that could be thrown had been thrown, she silently wished that the Gods of Larceny hadn't listened to any of Red X's prayers that night, hoping to find him lying broken and unconscious. Unfortunately, she seemed to be the one ignored, because when the smoke cleared there was no X.

"Damnit!" She swore for the umpteenth time that night. _Why_, on top of everything else, did she have to go report a failure to her already pissed off leader?! _Once again_ they had no X and no diamond.

Sighing, Raven turned to walk back to her immobile teammates when she felt goosebumps form on the back of her neck. She froze in mid turn when she realized who was breathing lightly right behind her, close enough to feel him brush against her cape like an unwanted breeze. Out of the corner of her eye, Raven could see the white skull mask staring at her face eerily.

"Don't worry gem," he whispered in her ear, "you won't ever be getting it gentle from me. Hopefully next time we meet it'll be under more _comfortable_ circumstances…"

Too angry to notice the weight drop in her hood, Raven spun around to strike him on the side of his head, only to find-

"-Nothing." Clenching her fist in silent, controlled rage, Raven sank into the ground and back to her friends.

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A/N: Please let me know what you think, oh good people of the . Like i said, first story eva and this is simply a very short introduction just to kick things off, if you have anything to say i'd be more than happy to hear!

ps: The Dark Knight was AMAZING, i recommend to EVERYONE to watch it at least 4 times this week :D


	2. Way Without Words

A/N: Thank You So Much! everyone who reviewed will be rewarded in heaven :) I like to update real late because that tends to be the time i have the computer all to myself haha. Hopefully this next chap doesn't disappoint, still trying to introduce things, ya know how it is ;)

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"Yo Rae, you sure you're alright?" The half metal teen asked her earnestly while they walked along the hallway.

Raven had returned in a worse mood then any of them had seen since the birthday incident that night. Beast Boy pointing out that she had the diamond in her hood after the reported failure on capturing Red X or the rock, hadn't helped matters much either.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Raven responded, her pale features set in stone as she withdrew into her cape even more.

Cyborg, taking the hint, slipped into his doorway and murmured a goodnight, not expecting a response anyway. He sighed, watching her blend into the shadows of the hall before disappearing completely. He knew Raven though, knew her well enough to respect her moods and her wishes, even if he didn't believe her words.

Raven knew it was wrong of her to be so cold to her friends when they just wanted to help, but right now she just wanted to be alone. Letting the thief get under her skin, though unnoticed by him it might have been, allowed her to slip. She wasn't fast enough, mentally and physically, to stop him from escaping. Any other night and she would have been able to carefully plan her strategy, remembered X's weaknesses and strengths, but that night she didn't. She should've known better. Known that by locking him in a mass of black energy would've kept him from pressing the teleport button on his suit. Knowing better than to run straight in and attack when Red X was much better at hand to hand combat than she. But somehow she didn't listen to her inner reason.

Raven snorted at this, most people had to interpret reason when she could just go talk to a yellow clad one herself; she should've been a step ahead of him. Still, Raven sensed something more to his little game-ulterior motives. The whole chase didn't seem real, like the Titans had been expected and more than just one of Red X's late night shopping sprees.

_Like a trap…_

God, she really was starting to sound like Robin. The thief had even given _back _the diamond he had stolen, frustrating the half demon even further. The smartest of the titans already realized what happened after Raven returned to them emotionless and silent; pulling off the glue attaching Starfire and Beast Boy to the museum roof and restarting Cyborg. But Robin wasn't quiet about his disappointment like the others.

_He never is_, she remembered with distaste.

She had rolled her eyes when the leader began ranting about Raven going after the thief without their help, not even bothering to point out he was still in his net. Feeling tired, and running low with patience, she had simply ignored him and teleported the rest of the team back home. Right about now she was feeling bad about the last part, sensing a figure approaching, a figure with light footsteps. Robin was the only one who could walk quieter than Raven.

She mentally braced herself for an onslaught when she heard his R-Cycle hum to a stop in the garage of the tower, but there was no blink in her communicator or any old-fashioned screaming. Nope, this was scarier than an angry Robin, even a furious Robin; a passive aggressive Robin.

_Oh, wonderful,_ She thought sarcastically, _now he's going to ignore me, oh, maybe next time we go out he'll say 'Every Titan Except If You Happen To Be Raven Who I Happen To Hate! Go!'_ she snickered, not caring that she was still being unfair. Leaving him in a net five miles and a bay away from the tower might not have been proper justice for a few harsh words. He was probably just concerned for her safety anyway.

Great, now she was feeling _really_ guilty…

The figure walked past like it hadn't noticed her. Though she couldn't tell if he spared her any glance, Raven had a feeling he was going to ignore her for a while. (Psychic powers and a mental bond with the boy could tell her these things…)

Well fine. If he wasn't going to be mature enough to at least express his problem with her, she wasn't going to be mature enough to apologize. Turning smartly away from the Boy Wonder's fading footsteps, Raven entered her dark chamber.

Everything was exactly how she left it. After the break in with Red X, Raven had learned to keep a mental inventory of every item in her room, knowing that there was always the possibility that things could be taken even without the alert of an advanced security system.

"Well, hopefully a good night's sleep-" She glanced at the purple clock, "-half a good night's sleep should help everybody's nerves." Including herself in the statement, she spoke to anyone who might've been up, unable to sleep, and currently checking the security cameras in the titan's room.

After a few minutes of calming meditation, she felt the tower ease into a state of peace. Sensing Robin had probably fallen asleep, she decided to wash up and do the same, noticing some cuts she had received from her fight earlier.

Yawning loudly as she walked out of the bathroom, Raven fell sleepily onto her bed, enjoying the feeling of the black silk nightgown and her satin sheets. Content in the knowledge that thieves didn't harass jewelers twice in the same night. It was a wonderful combination to fall sleep to, even the scent of her favorite flowers…

_Wait… flowers…?_

Trusting her nose, Raven kept her eyes shut and smelled. Confused with what her senses were telling her, she came to the conclusion that they were indeed, violets, her favorite flowers. But that was impossible, she had been only a door away, how could anyone put flowers in her room so quietly? Her favorite flowers no less? There was only one person who even knew her favorite flowers, one person who could sneak up on her. Raven's eyes flashed open, wishing that she could've been surprised to see a beautiful bouquet of violets and another type of white flower in a black vase on top of her dresser.

She stumbled over to the delicate arrangement of light purple flowers, noticing no note or any type of clue to the giver.

Could he possibly make her feel like more of a jerk?! She sighed and smiled in defeat, rubbing her eyes and deciding to apologize first thing in the morning.

"Bird Boy, you certainly have a way without words." She mumbled drowsily back to her bed, falling asleep almost immediately.

**"My Sweet Raven…"**

**It was a whisper against her cheek, warm and full of promise. She was warm everywhere, the gentle voice blanketing her emotions, and smothering the most suspicious of her thoughts.**

**And white.**

**She was wearing white again, standing on the roof of a Gothic castle, its majestic stained glass windows told her stories of ancient battles and heroic deeds. The ground shook violently and Raven fought for her footing. She stumbled when the stone steps crumbled beneath her feet, and suddenly she was falling. Like a snowflake against the black night, Raven fell slowly and contently, eyes closed, listening to the whispered echoes of her name.**

**Suddenly there was ground. Hard ground-jostling her clouded thoughts as she tried to stand. A hand appeared before her face, pale with unscathed palms and long fingers.**

**"_No…"_ her voice faltered as tears sprang from her violet eyes, _"you can't be here…"_**

**"_Oh, dear Raven, I am always with you."_ Those sapphire eyes, glinting with sincerity, hypnotized her. The silver armor, unmarred by time or battle, gave homage to its owner with a slick black 'M' across the chest plate.**

**Her hand, of its own accord, slid into his gently, and she was pulled swiftly into strong, nimble arms.**

**"_Raven,"_ He whispered into her hair, his accented voice thick with emotion, _"how long I've waited for your return to me. You are so beautiful and forgiving..."_**

**She listened to his endearing words for a long time before starting to feel warm. His breath started to burn her skin as she tried to turn her head away. Malchior held her tightly while Raven struggled to free herself, his armor now hot enough to melt, pulling her even closer. The words became raspy, deepening and growing until the echoes were no longer human. In the clutches of the dragon, Raven could feel her ribs snapping and lungs being crushed in his claws, not even allowing her to scream. Tears flowed down her cheeks once again, her body felt like it was inside a massive volcano, the pressure and heat coming from all directions with no way to escape.**

**"_Yes, My Sweet Raven, I have been waiting so long for you to return to me…"_**

**"_So long for you to return to me…"_**

**"_Return to me…"_**

**"_So I could finally kill you…"_**

**The flames poured around her as Raven finally let out a piercing scream.**

Gasping for breath and soaking in her own sweat, Raven could barely croak a reply to the banging at her door.

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A/N: OOOooOOO, a little nightmare action going on.. don't worry, all will be explained in time, and hopefully better gramatically.. Next update will be soon, and hopefully much longer, i'm sorry for starting with these short pansy chapters, it shall change

like i said reviews are wonderful, happy to hear :D


	3. Horror and Real Life Nightmares

Chapter 3:

**A/N: I am SO sorry for not updating sooner!! I had sports and a whole lot of other bullshit that you wouldn't care to know about I'm sure, haha, going on. This chaps a little longer than the others so hopefully I can keep em that way in the future.**

_**Disclaimer:**_** Opps, forgot to tell everyone, but no, I don't actually own Teen Titans… ****snaps in disappointment**

"Raven!"

"_Friend Raven_! Are you alright? We heard you scream as if in fright!"

"Yo Rae? What's happenin in there?"

The pounding on her door matched the throbbing in her head as the sorceress tried to calm her heart down.

"C'mon Raven, say something!"

She groaned out a reply, rubbing her temples and hoping it sounded like "I'm O.K." but not really recognizing the jumbled words herself. She couldn't bear to let her friends see her like this, and gathering her resolve, swiftly threw back the covers and staggered over to the door to keep them from barging in. Halfway there the commotion outside ceased; replaced by an unnatural silence.

She leaned against the metal for support and pressed her ear to it closely, curious as to why the pounding and shouting had suddenly stopped. Raven could hear hushed voices, then another quiet moment before the sound of steel swiping through the air and an immature snicker.

_Must've missed Beast Boy_, she smirked, standing up straight.

There was another moment of calm, where she could only guess that Cyborg was staring at her door -probably praying- a gulp, and she pressed the button to open her door. The _whoosh_ sent three of the titans screaming like girls and Beast Boy into the arms of a stunned Starfire. Everyone froze.

After the initial shock, Robin was the first to speak, "Raven, is everything alright?" he asked, stepping forward.

"Everything's fine," She replied in her signature monotone, "Just a nightmare." Though they looked unconvinced.

When there was no answer, she raised an eyebrow at the Titans uncharacteristic silence and looked each of them in the eye, confused. "What?"

"Look Rae," Beast Boy began timidly, releasing himself from Starfire's hold, "we know you seem ok, but umm," he glanced at the floor then back up at her, "keeping stuff from us isn't a good idea…"

"Yes, friend," Starfire chimed in, concerned, "please remember when the tower became haunted by your fears."

"Or on your birthday, you didn't tell us why Slade was really back." Cyborg added.

"And when we ran around looking for the gem only to find that it was you.."

"Also, when the prophecy-" Beast Boy was cut off.

"-_Enough!"_ Raven yelled, "Why does everyone always have to bring that up?! You don't think that I've learned from my past mistakes? If it was serious you would know, but it was just a nightmare… I promise." The last part was said much softer, and directed at the masked boy standing in front of her. He stared at Raven, internally arguing with himself about the course of action to be taken.

_Probably losing to himself…_

"Alright Raven, we believe you, but if there's anything wrong, anything, you have to promise to come tell us. Deal?" He said, sticking out his gloved hand in finality.

She didn't hesitate before clasping her own pale palm against his and nodding slightly at all of them.

"Now, can I get dressed? With you guys yelling at me I'll never be able to get back to sleep this morning..." The statement had its desired effect, making the four titans suddenly smile and delve back into their respective personalities.

"Oh, of course! We must leave immediately, and I shall engage in the 'talk of girls' with Raven later!" Back to her bubbly self, Starfire ushered the boys towards the main room before they could argue. Sighing, Raven stared after them, and after making sure that no one was left in the hall, turned back to her room.

After a quick run in with Dr. Light –Raven walked up and said 'Boo', causing the villain to conveniently throw himself to the ground, whimpering- the Titans decided to take the night off and celebrate.

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"BB, I'm _sorry_, but we are not going to see that flick about the talking gerbils!" Cyborg glared at the shorter green teen in the ticket line.

"Oh yeah, because a movie about talking robots who turn into cars must have a _way_ better plot right?!" Beast Boy argued back, claws already drawn.

"Hey, lookie here! They're havin a special on neutering your animals at the pet store! Maybe you'd like to take a trip over there and let the grown ups watch a movie, ya hairball!" At this, Beast Boy turned into a cat, jumping on Cyborg screeching and clawing.

The other titans watched this for a few minutes before, noticing that they were drawing attention from the general public, Raven pulled out a squirt bottle and sprayed the two until the changeling jumped off soaking and coughing.

"Will you two grow up?" She snapped, glancing at the movie list, " Look, there's a perfectly good new thriller about a psycho who wears a mask and hunts some teenagers around an abandoned town killing them off gruesomely one by one. What about that?"

The rest of the titans stared at her with wide eyes for a few moments, frightened, until Raven took the hint and sighed in defeat. "Fine. Well what else is there?" She asked, crossing her arms and sulking.

"Hmm," Robin turned back to the list, "They're showing a movie about two assassins who are married and each discover the other's identity. That sounds pretty good." He said, shrugging. When he received blank stares everyone looked to Starfire, whose eyes lit up, literally, with happiness.

"Oh, thank you thank you friends!" She floated over to and encased each one of them in a bone crushing hug. "I shall not fail in the quest for the appropriate cinematic adventure for this evening!"

But as soon as they saw her being drawn to the only animated film about a lost fish, all the Titans smacked their foreheads in frustration.

"Alright, look guys, obviously we can't all go to different movies, so Star," Robin pointed to the red headed alien, "you go and sit in between Cy and BB at the fish movie. Raven and I'll go see the thriller. Good? Alright excellent." He said, taking another step forward in the line despite the whining behind him.

After their tickets were bought, Starfire grabbed both the metal and green teens by the arms, chattering on about the exotic toppings she was going to put on their popcorn. Both boys exchanged looks of horror before walking into the theatre and out of sight.

"Smooth move Boy Wonder. But I'm not sure that the movie will really improve their moods." Raven commented with minimal sarcasm. After all, she was going to get to see her movie.

"Ah, at least they'll have something to agree on when they walk out." Robin smirked as he paid for the tickets, not noticing the other bird rolling her eyes.

"Well, thanks, I'm not sure if I would've been able to stand Beast Boy's constant guessing about who the next victim will be." She said, walking through the doors and into the building.

"Or having to explain the concept of not splitting up in a haunted mansion to Star."

Both of them snickered, handing their tickets to the teenage kid who directed them to the right.

Raven gestured to the concessions, "Did you want anything sweet?" She asked.

Robin paused then shook his head, "Nah, not right now."

The dark girl shrugged and ordered an iced tea and M&M's- one of her few guilty pleasures. They both walked into the theatre, surprised at the lack of audience already there. A total of four people were in the room, including the two superheroes. A figure sat alone in the front row while another man looked asleep.

"Hmm.." Robin surveyed the surroundings, nodding in approval, "well I guess when you end up screaming Rae, not many people will know." He teased playfully as they sat down in the second to back row. The previews hadn't started and they both got settled in the seats.

"Har Har, tights," she bit back, "don't worry about me, I just hope you're man enough to stick around during the scariest scenes, and not run off to get sweets."

"Oh, I don't think I'll have to go that far to find them." With that statement he leaned dangerously close to her face. Raven's eyes flashed wide as he smirked again, staying in the position. Before she could protest,

_Or do something very different from protesting…_

Robin pulled back and tossed an M&M into the air, catching it in his mouth, and flashing another cocky smile afterwards. Looking away, she put her hood down and ran a shaking hand through her violet hair.

"Hilarious." She mumbled, thankful when the lights dimmed and the previews started.

The movie opened without interruption, but Raven couldn't stay focused. Every move the boy wonder made she couldn't help but glance at in suspicion. Every time his hand reached for another M&M or ran through his spiky jet black hair, it was monitored. Whenever his mask widened in surprise at the screen or he chewed on his lip in anxiety, her violet eyes made sure it was accounted for. Clearly it didn't mean anything earlier, he was just messing with around. But if so, why did she feel she had to glare his arm off from around her shoulders when he tried the old yawn trick.

_Honestly, the __**yawn**__ trick. On __**her**__! It was insulting it was so cliché._

Still, the whole situation felt like more than just a favor for her and a way for him to get out of English interpreting for a couple hours.

More ulterior motives.

God, she wished just for a little while she could walk around without suspecting everyone. Of course God didn't usually grant the wishes of half demons anyway; rotten luck she supposed. This put her in a sour mood, coupled with the fact that the movie was predictable and obnoxious.

_Another blonde bombshell running around screaming her head off in nothing but lingerie…_

Rolling her eyes, she was surprised when she glanced at Robin and his hands were gripping the armrests so tight his knuckles were white. She could've sworn she saw a thin sheen of sweat break out along his forehead as well. Suddenly allowing herself a tiny smile of satisfaction, Raven offered an understanding look when he excused himself to go to the bathroom. Smirking when he turned his back on her, she looked back at the terrible movie and felt content for not being the only one uncomfortable in the theatre. Speaking of which, the man in the corner was still snoring lightly, but the figure in the front row was gone.

_Hmm,_ she thought, _probably took off when Robin did. Honestly, she had nightmares scarier than this nonsense. Then again, her nightmares were darker than most could stand to hear, let alone watch on a hundred inch screen with surround sound and state of the art graphics… Ah well…_

"Don't you just love it when the famous movie star gets their head decapitated?" said an amused and familiar voice to her left. Much too familiar for her taste.

"X!" she spat, more annoyed than outraged. True enough, the skull-masked thief sat on her left, leaning casually on the armrest. "I'm beginning to think you just don't know how to have fun without the teen titans."

As much as she didn't enjoy the movie, destroying the theatre wasn't a high priority at the moment. Also, if she could keep him occupied, maybe she could buy enough time for Robin to get back and they could take the thief down together.

_Man, that guy picked the wrong theatre to nap in tonight_, she sympathized silently.

"Well, I wouldn't say the 'teen titans', Sweets. Maybe just one." With this, he reached across her seat slowly. Glowing eyes already in check, Raven was fully prepared to sever the arm if he moved one millimeter closer, but surprisingly, said arm only grabbed an M&M out of the bag in her cup holder and retreated swiftly.

_If looks could kill…_

Raven swallowed her outrage at the action and settled on using her powers to take the piece of candy out of his hand and return it to the bag.

"I think you're probably looking for Starfire, she's in another theatre watching a movie about an animated fish. You could probably relate X, in the storyline the fish gets _stolen_, then he's _returned _back to his rightful owner." She turned the dial up on her sarcasm-o-meter for the last statement, turning her head back to the screen, appearing indifferent.

"Ah, I see," the bastard must've been grinning, "you're still upset about that little ruse. Well Gem, I just wanted to rattle your chain a bit, you know how it is, plus I'm always keyed up after a heist." He put his feet up on the row in front of them and threw his arm over his seat, getting comfortable. She would've rolled her eyes if it didn't hurt from overuse already that night.

"Stolen something tonight, X?" She asked pointedly, still watching the screen.

"Even if I did, why on Earth would I deliberately seek out the most attractive member of the teen titans," She fought to keep her eyes on the screen and the disgust out of her features, "and tell her about it?" He finished innocently, now looking at the screen as well.

"Because you like to play games. Just stealing isn't enough for you nowadays, there's something more to what you think you're doing and I'm going to find out what it is." Her voice became hard with determination, "Now what is it you stole tonight?"

"Maybe you'd like to search me for it." He suggested, leaning closer but keeping his attention focused on the movie. Raven remained stoic, though she had been watching the screen for the past twenty minutes, nothing made sense. Even her accusations didn't sway him, and her theory that there was more to his visit made even more sense the longer the thief stayed.

"Silent treatment?" Though it was computerized, she could still make out the pout in his voice. "C'mon love, tell me you don't enjoy my company more than Bird Boy's."

At this she whipped her head around, furious at Robin for taking so long in the bathroom and leaving her to suffer the criminals antics.

"I don't value the company of immature, annoying, egotistical idiots in spandex." She said coldly.

"Then you agree." X said laughing, and pushed back the armrest separating them. He turned his attention back fully on Raven, "Damn, you look good."

There was a long silence on her part, jaw clenching in silent fury.

The girl in the movie screamed.

The screen went dark.

When the lights came back on to signal the ending credits, Red X was gone from her side, a sapphire in his place.

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Robin was walking back into the theatre with candy and a soda in hand, but stopped when he saw all of the seats flattened out on the floor, with the only two still standing held the sleeping man and a stone-like Raven.

He gulped when she rotated her violet head in his direction slowly. "Uh, hey Rae. How was the rest of the movie…?" His voice drifted off, unsure.

The theatre staff had to run for cover when their popcorn machine became encased in black energy, exploded, and M&M's shot out of their bags like bullets in all directions.

She had tried to forget about the whole ordeal on the way home, distracting her self by listening to Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire 'speak whale'. Oddly enough, it was Cyborg and Starfire who had to help Beast Boy with his enunciation.

_He's obviously doing this for a reason…_ Her thoughts couldn't help but drift back to the skull-masked thrill seeker as she stared out the window of the T-car. Red X looked out for himself and nobody else, so it didn't make any sense for him to leave behind his prizes. Speaking of which, she'd have to return the sapphire before any of the titans found out it was missing, seeing as she didn't bother to tell any of them about her little encounter. It was probably wrong of her to keep these types of things from them, but its not like they'd be able to help anyway. Red X did commit a crime, but he returned the item stolen, so they'd have no justified reason for sending him to jail.

_"Ah, I see, you're still upset about that little ruse. Well Gem, I just wanted to rattle your chain a bit, you know how it is…"_

She racked her brain for possible explanations even after everyone had said their goodnights, but decided it wasn't healthy to obsess over something so miniscule. Maybe he did just want to mess with her, he was bored. But he'd never expressed any sort of interest in her before, and Star was always the one he'd flirt with.

To mess with Robin.

That was it; he'd simply picked a new target. Well he was going to need a new one soon, because she wasn't going to let him get under her skin anymore.

If he wanted to play games, then she could play right back, her determination solid.

But now, she had other things to deal with.

* * *

The white chest mocked her weakness even without an English accent.

_C'mon, what could he do? He's in a __**book**__ for Azar's sakes! _

She could handle a _storybook character_ couldn't she? She was Raven, Daughter of Trigon, the most bad ass guy in the dimension! That had to count for something right? Half demon, she could take a pretty – ok fine – she paused, _really,_ pretty boy who just happened to be both an ancient sorcerer and dragon in a fairytale. Taking a deep breath, Raven clenched her jaw and turned to the chest on the far side of her room.

_My Sweet Raven…_

"Uhhhh…" She deflated, arms drooping at her sides.

"……….."

"…………"

"…………."

"You know what? Meditation. Meditation is good. Yeah. I'm gonna….go…meditate…"

Turning back to glare at the chest, "Don't get comfortable buddy, I'm coming back," she swore, before walking out of the room and up to the roof.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos," The sun was setting.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos," Her voice floated above Jump City, the water surrounding the tower glowed with oranges and pinks streaking across its surface.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos," A light breeze rippled through her cape and short violet hair, causing goosebumps to rise on the back of her neck.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos," Her breath was low and deep, the breath people took while asleep late at night.

"Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos…" She finished, opening her eyes and putting her feet back on the steady ground. It was very peaceful.

"BOO-YA!"

_Correction, it __**was**__ peaceful._

A loud string of curses and protests could be heard afterwards from inside the tower, accompanied with growls from various assorted animals.

The dark girl sighed, for once thankful for the boys' behavior. They brought her back to reality.

She needed to do this.

Holding her head high, Raven never looked back at the last few seconds of daylight, before closing the rooftop door behind her.

Entering her room, Raven didn't hesitate before striding over to the offending piece of furniture. Speaking the counter curses and unlocking the many charmed chains holding the chest closed, she hoped for something good to come out of the can of worms she was about to open. After the last bolt was taken off, she threw back the top of the case and stopped. There it was. Not quite white, but fading silver with enchantment and age. Its edges were slightly worn from being dropped and handled by uncaring hands over the centuries. She felt sorry for the book, it was so beautifully designed and the – _Great_, she was already sympathizing.

_Not a good start, Miss Half Demon Daughter of Trigon Blah Blah Blah…_

"Shut up, conscience," She shoved the offending thoughts away, reaching for the book.

It felt no different from the way it had the day she locked it inside the chest. She ran her hands over the cover and spine almost affectionately, blissful from the feel of warm magic seeping through its pages.

"Mmmm, Raven, I do believe you might have the ability to make this old dragon purr…" The heavily accented voice filled the room and flooded her senses immediately. She had forgotten about his voice. It was intoxicating, to say the least, and she admitted not fully preparing herself for its charms that night.

"A exquisite pleasure, your soft hands," he continued, "one I, honestly, did not expect to ever enjoy again in my lifetime."

She pulled the heavy book closer, losing her thoughts to nostalgia and smiling slightly.

"Ah yes, I see you have missed me as well." His voice a whisper, but still unable to keep the satisfaction from the statement.

"Malchior…" She said lowly, closing her eyes and laying back on her bed, suddenly weary.

"I am here, dearest angel, your humble servant." The book warmed from her embrace, allowing the dragon a small tremor of pleasure. It had been too long since he had been in that embrace.

"I need your… help, Malchior…" Her speech was softer, slower.

"Anything you wish." He kept his voice as soft as hers, tempting her already tired senses further into slumber.

"…Your help…but…I can't remember…" Spoken lazily and broken, the dragon assumed she was already half asleep.

"Of course, of course, when you wake, my sweet I will be here to help." Flooding confidence and comfort into every word.

She giggled suddenly, "Of course…. silly, you're… in a… book…" Now breathy whispers were all he could make out, and before he could retort she spoke one last sentence before drifting off to sleep.

"Mal…ch…ior…I…missed…you…" Straining to hear the last words, he then laughed quietly in approval.

"Yes, my sweet, I know… But what is this predicament of which you are forced to seek my aid for?" He questioned, puzzled.

"No matter, I will know in time, but don't forget dear Raven, I will expect proper payment for my… services." With this he also allowed himself to drift asleep, held close to her heart.

* * *

**A/N: Check it, some Malchior action in this chapter, if people will like to see more of him I can possibly make him a major character, eh? eh? Whatever you wish. Once again, so sorry for taking so long, reviews are always appreciated. **

**:D**


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